Текст книги "Wolf Pack"

9

Near the horizon we could see the BattleMechs of the Spider's Web Battalion racing over the ridges. MacKenzie Wolf, Jaime Wolf's blood son, was leading his unit against the flank of the Jade Falcon position. From our over-watch position on the slopes of Ziggilies Mountain, we listened to the soft thunder of explosions and watched the distant flashes of manmade lightning.

This was Jaime Wolf's first day out from under his year of suspension. The Command Lance had landed on Morges, on the border of Clan Jade Falcon's occupation zone, coming in at dawn over the top of Ziggilies Mountain. Beta Regiment and Spider's Web Battalion were already onplanet, having been hired by the Federated Commonwealth for a counterstrike against the Jade Falcon occupying force. The Falcons were looking to expand their occupied territory and the Dragoons were to help stop them. FedCom units were engaging the Falcons on their own, but the Dragoons would provide added punch to make sure the Falcons went home, and went home bloodied. It was the hottest contract the Dragoons had underway. Naturally, the Wolf wanted to be in for the kill.

I had no doubt that Jaime Wolf was happy to be here.

"That got their attention," he said. Reconnaissance had reported that the Falcons were engaging the Spider's Web with significant forces. The Jade Falcon commander would soon see that the ante had been upped. "Brian, give aerospace the go. The Falcons will start dropping reinforcements soon. Let's give them a warm welcome."

"Aerospace on the way," I responded as I received acknowledgement from the command ship in orbit. "Major Baracini is promising them a bumpy ride down."

"That's a promise he'll keep." Maeve cut in. "Brian, tell them to let some through. We don't want those aerojocks hogging all the fun."

She laughed lightly, clearly relishing the coming combat. Though I was eager, too, to be honest, I must also admit to feeling some trepidation. Should the Jade Falcon reinforcements arrive in significant numbers, the fighting would be deadly. The Dragoons would not get off easily.

The Wolf gave the order to move out of our positions. Taking care on the treacherous slopes, the BattleMechs of the Command and Bodyguard Lances picked their way down toward the plain. The vector we followed would take us to a new position about four kilometers behind the lines, and from there we would be able to see the battle progressing. We had covered only half the distance when Alicia Fancher, the Beta commander, put in a priority call.

"Delta call, Colonel," I relayed. "Beta reports a Jade Falcon breakthrough twenty klicks north of Josselles."

"Map feed," he ordered.

"In process."

I reviewed the feed on my monitor, trying to guess the Wolf's response. The Falcon attack had pierced Beta's right-flank defenses and threatened to drive a wedge between the Dragoons and the FedCom forces. Worse, the command center coordinating the operation was in Josselles. If the Falcons succeeded in reaching it, they would disrupt our attack. With our coordination shattered, they could turn on the FedCom troops and waste them while holding us off. The map plainly showed that Beta's 'Mech forces could not intercept the Falcons in time to prevent them from reaching the command center. No one had expected the Clan force to mount a counterthrust so swiftly.

"Vector on me." The Wolf turned his Archerin the direction of Josselles. "Brian, sound Code White."

There were other orders as well, but I was soon too busy to contemplate their importance. Handling the volume of comm traffic inherent in a multiregiment battle is a full-time job. Try adding to that the task of piloting a BattleMech traveling at fifty kilometers per hour over rough terrain and see how much time youhave to consider tactical subtleties. I was shocked back to the immediate field when Vordel's Victortook the first round of fire.

The Victorrocked under the impact of a volley of long-range missiles, but kept moving, twisting right, then left, to throw off the enemy gunner's aim. Raising its right arm, the Victorfired its Gauss rifle with a crack that ripped the air. Then the rest of the Bodyguard Lance joined in. Missiles screamed downfield, the smoky billows of their exhaust trails lit with bright blue flashes of particle projector bolts.

Then I saw Maeve's Thunderbolttake a brace of heavy laser hits. Missiles struck all around her, raising dust and hiding her from view. My heart stopped as chunks of fused armor blasted free of the obscuring cloud in a rain of shrapnel. The pulsing of her 'Mech's arm-mounted Blackwell 20 laser told me she had survived the attack, even before her T-boltcleared the cloud of steam and smoke. The armor of the 'Mech's right arm was shredded and I could see the gleam of its internal structure. Craters from missile hits pocked the sloping chest, but the T-boltmoved with undiminished speed. I began to breathe again.

A Star of five enemy BattleMechs, three Thorsand two Mad Cats,emerged from the treeline, racing for the cover offered by a razed town. Not Josselles; we were still several klicks north. The Falcon 'Mechs fired as they moved, no doubt hoping to slow us and gain the protection of the rubble and burned-out buildings, while simultaneously denying it to us. Once behind the buildings, they could fire on us as we moved through open fields to close with them. And we would have to close, for their weapons generally out-ranged ours. If we attempted a long-range duel, I knew that the other 'Mechs of their detachment would already be moving through the trees, racing past toward Josselles.

The Falcons must have been confident, and who could blame them? Intel had reported that most of the Jade Falcon BattleMechs onworld were second-line models, 'Mechs similar to Inner Sphere designs but equipped with Clan weapons, engines, and electronics. Such machines were dangerous enough, but this Star consisted of OmniMechs, battle machines as superior to Clan second-line models as those models were to most Inner Sphere 'Mechs.

Omnis were one of the Clans' great advantages, and the Falcons knew how to use them. In our two lances, we had only three Omnis.

The radio waves crackled with challenges from the Clan warriors. They were calling for single combat, 'Mech against 'Mech. Clan honor, Inner Sphere suicide.

"Ignore the challenges," the Wolf ordered. "Bodyguard Lance concentrate on the lead 'Mech. Command Lance to direct all fire at the trailer."

Maeve protested, wanting to duel her opponent. Hating the necessity, I overrode her circuit. The Wolf had given his orders and she was out of line. Concentrated fire might let us bring down one or both of the target Omnis and thus even the odds.

Despite her protest, she followed the Wolf's orders.

The T-bolfslaser sent iridescent gouts of energy into the leg of the lead Falcon 'Mech, a Thor.Her shots placed right on target, a hole punched through by her lancemates. The Thorstumbled, then righted itself, but only for a moment. As the seventy-ton machine's weight came down on the the injured leg, the foamed titanium bones gave way. The Thortoppled. A second Thorleaped past as it fell, continuing the Falcons' charge for the ruined town.

The Command Lance wounded its target, a Mad Cat,but the Omni kept moving. Our attack hadn't slowed the Star and we didn't have time for a second round before the leading Falcons reached cover. It seemed obvious that we were going to have to go in after them and that we'd take damage doing so, possibly even lose some of our 'Mechs. I hoped Maeve's wouldn't be one of them.

The situation suddenly worsened as Hans announced, "Star at four o'clock."

A new Star emerged from the woods, charging toward our flank. The Falcons had laid a trap, drawing us into a commitment, then hitting us from two sides. The first Star's Omnis reached the town and I could hear their jeers overrunning the open frequency.

The shouting changed its tone when those Omni pilots found ourtrap.

The Jade Falcon Thorthat had taken the lead passed through the outer fringes of the town without being molested. His pilot took up position on the edge of town and opened fire on Anton Benjamin. The Omni's massive autocannon roared with a staccato beat, revealing itself as an ultra model that could pump out twice the normal volume of fire for a weapon of its class. The Thormercilessly pummeled Benjamin's Black Hawk,gouging armor and shredding myomer pseudomuscle and titanium structural members with almost equal ease. The Black HawkWent over backward and stopped moving, smoke rising from the savaged torso.

That's when we sprang the trap.

Dragoon Elementals emerged from hiding, launching SRMs at deadly point-blank range. Caught by surprise, the Falcons took heavy damage. One, a Thor,rose on a column of superheated air, trying to escape the Point of Elementals swarming over it. The Elementals dropped free, using their own jump packs to land safely. Scurrying back to cover, they sniped at the Omnis remaining in the town.

The escape of the airborne Thorwas like a signal for the rest of the enemy Star. The surviving Omnis pulled back from the Elemental-infested buildings. The Mad Catthat had been Bodyguard Lance's target never made it out. The remaining three enemy 'Mechs cut wide, trying to avoid our fire. We poured it on and the second Mad Catwent down. The surviving Thorsescaped with heavy damage.

When the first shots from the second Star began to land around us, the Wolf ordered us into the town. He wanted to put the buildings between us and the fresh Star. So did I. We took more hits until we got under cover. Shelly's Ostsolhad an arm blown off when its torso was ripped open. Shelly ejected from her crippled machine, and we were down to six effectives, all damaged.

The Falcons got cautious. Maybe they thought we had a lot more in the town than we did or maybe they were just showing the standard Clanner's dislike of close-in fighting. They would be well aware of what the Elementals could do in close.

To whittle us down, they started a long-range bombardment. We replied as best we could. The Wolf himself scored hit after hit with volleys from his Archer'smissile launchers.

When our ammo began to run low, reducing our long-range firepower, the Falcons reacted as if they knew we were low. They began to move in, circling more like wolves than their namesake. They kept up a murderous barrage while staying out of the Elementals' range. The least battered of our Omnis, Kara's Loki,got mired in a collapsed building while moving to cut off a thrust against our flank. Unable to maneuver, she was little more than a pillbox. The Falcons shifted away, leaving her out of the battle. Franchette's Riflemangot caught and went down while shifting from an exposed position. Maeve's T-boltwent into heat overload and shutdown. Ignoring the Wolf's order, she stayed inside, trying to restart her engine.

The Falcons ceased their attack, giving me respite to run the comm channels and take a real look around to find out why. The heavy radio traffic and the smoke rising from the forest to the east told the story. Beta's reserves had arrived. Our intercept of the Jade Falcons' spearhead had slowed them down enough for FedCom conventional forces to throw up a roadblock and slow the Falcons further, long enough for Beta's reserves to interpose themselves. The counterthrust was checked; even Omnis were not invincible.

The Falcons withdrew.

We survived.

Carrying our dispossessed pilots in the jump seats of our functional 'Mechs, our lances reached Josselles. The Wolf dismounted at the Dragoon command trailer, leaving his 'Mech to be reloaded and repaired by the mobile tech unit. I helped Shelly out of my Lokiand made sure she got medical attention before following him there. I wanted to see how Maeve was, but I had my duty. The battle was not yet over.

The trailer didn't have the facilities of the Chieftain,the Wolf's command DropShip, but it was well-supplied and adequate to its task. Colonel Fancher was at a forward post, but Martin Reed, her executive officer, was there and already in conference with the Wolf. I went to the comm deck and transferred the link from my Lokito the center. Reports flooded in. The battle was shifting decisively in our favor, but it flickered on for hours like a smoldering fire.

Sometime during the night, Maeve showed up and brought me some rations. I ate at my console while she rubbed my shoulders. Her touch reassured me that she was glad we had survived. At the time, it was enough.

I suppose the return of MacKenzie Wolf and his company commanders marked the conclusion of the battle. The Spider's Web had secured its objectives and pulled back for refit. All across the front, the Falcons were retreating. Fancher was able to disengage Beta and move into reserve mode as backup for the Fed-Coms and the Fourth Skye Rangers. There'd still be fighting, but the campaign had been decided. The glory, what there was of it, of kicking the Jade Falcons off Morges would go to the F-C troops. The Dragoons in the trailer were all exhausted, but there was still work to do. The morning shift came in, but the off-duty techs and officers couldn't seem to muster enough energy to go to quarters. Exhausted and half-awake, they slouched in spare corners, where they slurped coffee, gnawed ration bars, and kept one eye on the screens and holotank.

Dawn light spilled into the trailer and a man entered. He was obviously of the Clan Elemental bloodline, for he barely fit through the door. He also looked unfairly rested. I guessed him to be Elson, commander of the infantry Star involved in the trap, because I vaguely remembered having sent an order for him to report to the trailer.

Elson moved between the closely packed rows of consoles with a deftness that I found surprising. How could such a mass of muscle move with such assurance and delicacy? Even when one of the commtechs suddenly backed his chair into the Elemental's path, the big man stepped around and through the narrowed passage without contacting the chair or slowing his pace. He halted just outside the ring of Command Lance personnel around the main holotank, settling into a relaxed but ready stance that I suspected he could maintain for hours.

He didn't have to wait long. Jaime Wolf froze the holo display and turned. Smiling, he held out one hand to the infantryman, who dwarfed him.

"You did a good job today, Captain Elson."

The Elemental seemed unmoved by the Wolf's praise, but shook his hand and answered politely. "Thank you, Colonel."

"You seem to be living up to Grif Nikkitch's advance billing. He's a hard man to please."

"For an infantryman," MacKenzie Wolf added.

Most of the MechWarriors around the holotank laughed at Mac's joke. It was not sycophantic laughter; we were all MechWarriors. We didn't really understand how someone could be willing to go into battle without the advantage of a 'Mech. As 'Mech pilots, we did not think it demeaning to make a joke at an infantryman's expense. It was common knowledge that they made uncomplimentary remarks about us as well. It was just the way things were. Elson seemed totally unmoved.

"The Colonel wished to see me," he said tonelessly.

"I did, Lieutenant." Jaime Wolf folded his arms across his chest. "I am given to understand that you have ambitions beyond commanding a Star."

"I will serve as I can, Colonel."

"Well, I'm going to give you a chance. Think you can pass the tests for Trinary command? Are you ready to command three Stars?"

"I am a warrior. I will do my best."

"And that will be good enough?"

"I am good enough." Elson paused. To me it seemed that he was going to add something more than the simple "sir" he tacked on as an afterthought.

"Very well, then." The Wolf nodded. "But we're not on Outreach today and I need a Trinary commander today, Brevet Captain Elson. Stick around. We have a briefing in thirty."

"I serve, Colonel," Elson said. He touched his fist to his forehead and, lowering his arm to waist level, bowed over it. The action was a formal, ritual acceptance, out of place in the relaxed atmosphere of the field command center.

Jaime Wolf returned his attention to the holotank. He was into his third replay of the day's action when Stanford Blake decided it was time to move on to other business.

"Colonel, the Hall has posted a signal."

"They know our availability as well as I do."

"They thought, and I agreed, that you might want to give this offer some consideration." Stan slipped a data disk into the tank's console. Contract specifications appeared in a window that opened over the miniature display of the battlefield. I couldn't read the words from my angle of vision, but I knew what they said. I'd seen the signal. Stan waited until the Wolf looked up. "As you can see, House Kurita is offering a contract for two regiments to go against the Nova Cats on Meinacos. The spec doesn't include their compensation offer. I guess putting a price on a military operation is some sort of violation of their samurai honor, but the Hall's got all the details. They're offering nearly double our usual rates and full salvage rights."

The Wolf was silent. MacKenzie spoke for him. "Tell them we decline."

Stan slammed his fist into his thigh. "Don't you think this has gone on long enough? I was there, too, but I'm willing to let it go."

"We're not," Mac said firmly.

"I thought we were going to run this operation economically, " Stan said angrily. "Kurita is offering double our standard rates. How can we afford to ignore that?"

Mac started to respond, but the Wolf held up one hand. The son deferred to the father. "Even if it weren't Kurita, it would be a hard-luck contract. Meinacos is close to the district capital at Pesht. There'll be hard fighting."

"The Dragoons never backed away from a hard fight before," Captain Winnie Harding said. She was an adoptee, a spheroid who had been deemed good enough to join the Dragoons after Luthien. A former battalion commander in House Steiner's Skye Rangers, she'd given that up to serve as a company commander in MacKenzie Wolf's Spider's Web Battalion. She was still learning her way around the Dragoons. "It's because it's the Snakes, isn't it?"

No one saw the need to answer her.

Stan sighed. "Jaime, this can't go on. For somebody who can turn his back on his heritage, you've got a strangely strong grip on the past."

"It's a practical decision."

"Practical! I'll tell you what's practical! Practical is living with the reality that we've got to support more military assets than any fiveplanets with the resources of one.We need well-paying contracts. You've just spent a year out of combat to heal the precious reputation of the Dragoons and preserve the Mercenary Review Commission's rep for impartiality. You've made a lot of speeches about impartiality and fairness. No favorites, you said. The Dragoons are for hire, to the best contract. What happened to equal and unbiased services to all Houses and all political units?"

The Wolf glared. It was a display of emotion he wouldn't have allowed himself if outsiders had been present. It was the same license that let Stan shout at his superior. Though we were among Dragoons, Jaime Wolf said nothing.

Stan turned to me and asked softly, "Brian, whose name is on the contract as sponsor?"

"Theodore Kurita."

Stan returned his attention to the Wolf. "You see, Jaime? Not Takashi, Theodore. The Kanrei, who you invited to Outreach."

Elson stepped forward, eclipsing one of the light panels. His shadow fell across the holotank, cutting between Stan and the Wolf. "Leave Wolf alone, Colonel Blake. This is feud."

"Feud be damned!" Stan turned on the Elemental. "This is business. We can't claim to be unbiased if we refuse a contract from one of the Houses. We can't afford to pass up lucrative contracts just because somebody connected to the customer has a history with us. Unity! If we did that all the time, we'd have nobody to work for."

Unimpressed by Stan's fervor, Elson shook his head slowly. "It is a point of honor."

"Look here, Elson—"

"Let it go, Stan."

"Jaime ..." Stan's appeal faltered as he saw the adamantine resolve in the Wolf's eyes. He paused a moment, then rallied, prepared to launch his appeal on a different tack.

"I said, let it go," the Wolf said softly.

The intelligence officer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he shrugged and walked across the trailer to his console. Jaime Wolf returned to studying the local tactical reports. I looked at Maeve to see how she had taken the exchange, but she was disappearing beyond the massive bulk of Elson, heading outside. Elson stood passively, a thoughtful expression on his face. It might have been business as usual.

But I could feel the unresolved tension.